Susannah negotiated those difficult teenage years in front of a black and white TV, in the company of the inimitable Humphrey Bogart. There were many long, smoke-filled nights, punctuated by sardonic dialogue and the sound of some B-grade villain expiring in a hail of bullets.

After studying law, Susannah embarked on a career in book and magazine publishing that has so far failed to make her rich or famous. But thanks to a nine-year stint at Radio Times magazine she feels certain that she has already met more than her fair share of film geeks and fan-boys. A team lunch last Christmas with film critic and football fan Barry Norman was a highlight.

Movie heaven: Sunset Boulevard, The Lady Eve, The Big Sleep, LA Confidential, The Graduate, Chinatown, All about My Mother. I could go on . . .

Movie hell: awards shows; anything directed by, sanctioned by, or starring Mel Gibson

Email: sustraug@googlemail.com